With reference to FIG. 6, a conventional magnetic nonvolatile memories comprise memory cells including a MOSFET and a tunneling magnetoresistive element. In such magnetic nonvolatile memories, information is written in a free layer of the tunneling magnetoresistive element using a current-induced spatial magnetic field generated by electrification between a bit line and a word line while utilizing a MOSFET for switching; and the written information is read out by the action of an output voltage (T. Miyazaki and N. Tezuka, J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 139, L231 (1995)).
In the conventional magnetic nonvolatile memories, information is written by allowing the free layer of the tunneling magnetoresistive element to inverse its magnetization using a spatial static magnetic field generated by the action of a current passing between the bit line and the word line. It therefore requires a very large power to induce a magnetic field sufficient for causing magnetization inversion, and the necessary power cannot be reduced. To solve this problem and to reduce the power consumption of a magnetic nonvolatile memory, the magnetization of the free layer should be inversed without the aid of the current-induced spatial magnetic field.